First Place Winner of the Miley B. Wesson Resident Essay Contest, Matthew D. Truesdale, MD holds an award plaque presented to him after his presentation by Moderators Thomas Chi, MD (L) and Mark I. Anderson, MD on behalf of the Western Section AUA.

ReutersProviding more care than necessary may work to lower a doctor's risk of being accused of malpractice, suggests a new U.S. study. Although the results can't prove extra expenditures are due to so-called defensive medicine, the researchers found that doctors in Florida who provided the most costly care between 2000 and 2009 were also least likely to be sued between 2001 and 2010. "By no means would I consider it to be conclusive, but it does signal to us that defensive medicine could work in lowering malpractice risk, but more research is needed to know if that’s true or not," said lead author Dr. Anupam Jena, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.READ MORE

InformationWeekDrugs can be expensive, difficult to research, hard to get approved, and, according to a recent report, don't work on large parts of the population. These factors likely put a great deal of pressure on pharmaceutical companies to research drugs that have the highest probability of turning a profit rather than those that could help the most people.READ MORE

HealthLeaders MediaThe American Medical Association is asking the federal government to block two proposed mega-mergers involving four major health insurance companies, deals that the physicians' association say would drastically reduce competition and increase healthcare costs for consumers. AMA President James L. Madara, M.D., said in a letter to Assistant Attorney General William Baer, with the Department of Justice's antitrust division, that the proposed acquisitions of Humana by Aetna and of Cigna by Anthem would create "significant concerns with respect to the impact on consumers in terms of health care access, quality, and affordability."READ MORE

The Salt Lake TribuneMaking a living at keeping others healthy tends to bring greater job satisfaction, a new poll suggests. That isn't a major surprise when it comes to physicians, nurses, hospital workers and clinicians — the front-line caregivers typically associated with medicine. Academic studies have documented through the years that the happiness of healthcare workers is closely related to better outcomes for those they treat. "If they're feeling better about themselves and their workplace, they go the extra mile for patients," said Kevin Martin, administrator at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Salt Lake City.READ MORE

California HealthlineHealth plans being sold through the Affordable Care Act's exchanges for the 2016 coverage year have narrower provider networks and higher premiums, according to several analyses, Modern Healthcare's "Vital Signs" reports. Federal officials last month released data on every health and dental plan offered in the state using the federal exchange. According to the data, average premiums for such plans will rise more in 2016 than they did in 2015. An Avalere Health analysis of the data found that the lowest-cost silver plan will increase by about 13 percent.READ MORE

HealthLeaders MediaHealth policy think tanks, rural health advocates, state hospital associations, and local providers are trying to find more efficient delivery models that create optimum use of scarce resources for remote populations. One success story can be found in Beulah, North Dakota, pop. 3,152 or so, located about 77 miles northwest of Bismarck, and whose town motto is "Small town appeal... Big city looks."READ MORE

NewsMaxDespite company healthcare costs rising at the lowest rate in at least 20 years, a new report shows that the average amount workers have to contribute toward their healthcare is up more than 134 percent over the past decade, USA Today reports. "Our clients say, 'I can't keep paying more and more of these ever-rising health costs,'" said Craig Dolezal, a senior vice president of Aon's health practice.READ MORE

The Associated Press via The Salt Lake TribuneWhen you're coming down with a cold, there are a few items you typically reach for to start feeling better: cough drops, herbal tea, maybe an over-the-counter medication. For most of us, though, a smartphone wouldn't top that list. But that may change as health care companies increasingly steer customers toward streaming video apps that connect patients with doctors online. The push toward virtual health care comes as many primary doctors are over-booked and patients struggle with their own busy schedules. At the same time, insurers and employers see an opportunity to save money by reducing pricier visits to doctors' offices and urgent care clinics.READ MORE

HealthLeaders MediaAs insurance companies keep looking for ways to rein in their members' healthcare spending, the shift away from broad provider networks and out-of-network benefits is on. Two-thirds of payers that sold preferred provider organization health plans through the exchanges in 2015 are either reducing or eliminating their PPO offerings in 2016, according to a new analysis from Katherine Hempstead, Ph.D., director of coverage issues at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey.READ MORE

The HillA key Obamacare program intended to cushion health insurers from high costs is facing a massive cash shortage going into 2016, Standard and Poor’s recently said. Under the so-called “risk corridor” program, the Obama administration charges insurers with more-than-expected profits and redistributes the money to plans with losses.READ MORE

The New York TimesObama administration officials, urging people to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, have trumpeted the low premiums available on the law’s new marketplaces. But for many consumers, the sticker shock is coming not on the front end, when they purchase the plans, but on the back end when they get sick: sky-high deductibles that are leaving some newly insured feeling nearly as vulnerable as they were before they had coverage.READ MORE

San Francisco ChronicleMore than 2 million eligible Californians are still without medical coverage, and in its third year, the state-run marketplace for health insurance will put the emphasis on capturing a fraction of them. Covered California, where the state’s uninsured can sign up to buy coverage, will reach out primarily to the 750,000 Californians who are eligible for federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The enrollment period for health insurance began Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31.READ MORE

NPRIn May 2014, Samuel Merritt University's nursing program graduated its second-largest class of African-American and Latino students — 10 African-Americans and 28 Latinos. "What we'd like to do is train more [registered nurses] and more case managers and more nurse practitioners," Strong says. "People who are really in decision-making roles in hospitals."READ MORE

The New York TimesFewer men are being screened for prostate cancer, and fewer early-stage cases are being detected, according to two studies published Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The number of cases has dropped not because the disease is becoming less common but because there is less effort to find it, the researchers said.READ MORE

News MedicalDiets rich in potassium may help protect the heart and kidney health of patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing kidney failure and heart disease.READ MORE